SDG 14.2.3 Overfishing (community outreach)

NCUE provides local communities and students with courses related to coastal biological resources, fishing operations, and fishery resource conservation. One example is the “Resilient Changbin: Climate Change and the Sustainability of Changhua's Coastal Environment and Industries” project implemented by the Environmental Education Center.

The project offers the courses “Coastal Biological Resources” and “Sustainable Development and Practices of Coastal Biological Resources.” Combining theoretical instruction with hands-on practice, the courses cover topics including coastal biodiversity, environmentally friendly aquaculture technologies, water and sediment quality assessment, fisheating culture, and the promotion of low-carbon aquaculture. The project also collaborates with local communities to promote marine conservation and sustainable fisheries.

The project has deeply engaged in coastal ecological conservation, putting focus on marine and wetland sustainability. We established a water quality monitoring team to assist aquaculture farmers with water quality management, increasing the clam survival rate to more than 70%. The project also promoted the reuse of discarded shells to improve sediment grain size and oxygen permeability in intertidal habitats. As a result, the number of benthic species increased from 14 to 37, while biological carbon sequestration reached 3.86 times that of the control group, significantly enhancing biodiversity and the carbon sequestration benefits of the ecosystem. In addition, we trained 91 intertidal citizen scientists to participate in environmental monitoring and ecological conservation efforts. Relevant information is shown in Figures 1–2.

Link to Facebook page for project activities: https://www.facebook.com/NCUEUSR/